Anti-Graft Body Files Corruption Case Against Former Ward Chairman, Secretary in Bara, Nepal

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a corruption case at the Special Court against four individuals, including the former ward chairman and ward secretary of Ward No. 3 of Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan City in Bara district.

The commission filed the charge sheet on Sunday, alleging that they colluded to undervalue land by concealing details of the house and road access, resulting in revenue embezzlement.

Those charged include the then Ward Chairman M. Jalaludin Mansoor, the then Ward Secretary Raghu Prasad Sahani Godhi, land seller Rauf Mia Mansoor, and land purchaser Hiralal Prasad.

According to the CIAA investigation, the land in Plot Nos. 288 and 290 in Ward No. 2 of Kalaiya Sub-Metropolitan City was situated adjacent to the Kalaiya-Birgunj Postal Highway (paved road) and had a concrete house with compound walls. However, through collusion between the ward chairman and the secretary, a recommendation containing false details was prepared, stating that the land was located on an inner road and did not have a house.

Based on this fraudulent recommendation, the land, which should have been valued at a minimum of NPR 9,948,921, was assessed at only NPR 550,000, and the land transfer was executed through the Land Revenue Office. The CIAA concluded that by establishing a drastically lower transaction value than the actual worth, the government of Nepal incurred a loss of NPR 694,651 from registration fees and capital gains tax.

The commission has demanded that the four defendants jointly pay compensation amounting to NPR 694,651, along with an equivalent fine, and face imprisonment as stipulated by the Prevention of Corruption Act.